WESTBOUND: Tonight the Calgary Roughnecks head west to face the Vancouver Stealth at the Langley Events Centre. Calgary enters the contest following last Saturday’s 13-8 loss to the league-leading Colorado Mammoth at the Scotiabank Saddledome. The game saw the Roughnecks jump to an early 4-0 advantage while Colorado battled back, scoring five of the next six goals, to even the game at the half. The Mammoth then scored eight second-half goals, including two power play markers, en route to their sixth win of the season. Curtis Dickson led the charge for the Riggers, netting one goal and four assists. Reilly O’Connor (1g, 3a), Tyler Digby (3g, 1a) and Wesley Berg (3g) were also top performers for the Roughnecks. Vancouver last saw action on Feb. 13 when they were edged 16-15 by the Rochester Knighthawks in overtime.
VS VANCOUVER: Tonight marks the second of four regular season meetings between the Roughnecks and Stealth. Calgary leads the season series 1-0 following a 15-13 home win at the end of January. Last month’s contest marked the first time Vancouver defender Jeff Moleski and transition player Travis Cornwall faced their former team in regular season play. The pair of free agents both signed with the Stealth during the off-season. For Tyler Digby, the victory also marked the first regular season match-up between the new Roughneck and his former club. He posted a four-point effort (1g, 3a) in the win.
ROAD WARRIORS: Calgary has made four trips to the Langley Events Centre since the Stealth moved from Washington to Vancouver, posting a 3-1 road record over the past two seasons and outscoring their opponent by a combined 50-42.
BC ROOTS: Nine players on Calgary’s active roster hail from British Columbia: Wesley Berg (Coquitlam), Curtis Dickson (Port Coquitlam), Tyler Digby (New Westminster), Brandon Goodwin (New Westminster), Karsen Leung (Victoria), Curtis Manning (Surrey), Peter McFetridge (Vancouver), Garrett McIntosh (Coquitlam) and Frankie Scigliano (Coquitlam).
FAMILIAR FACES: In the off-season, Roughnecks free-agents Jeff Moleski and Travis Cornwall signed with Vancouver. The two former ’Necks returned to the ’Dome on December 20 as members of the Stealth for the Calgary’s Holiday Showcase pre-season game. In 2015, Moleski played 14 regular season games with the Roughnecks, registering nine points (1g, 8a) and scooping up 61 loose balls. In five games last season, Cornwall recorded four assists and 17 loose balls for Calgary. New Roughneck Tyler Digby will face his former team for the first time in regular season play this evening. He squared off against the Stealth back in December’s exhibition contest where he tallied five goals.
HEAD-TO-HEAD: 2016 REGULAR SEASON
Category Roughnecks (3-4) Stealth (2-4)
Home Record 2-2 1-2
Away Record 1-2 1-2
Goals For 73 68
Goals Against 84 80
Power Play Pct. 45.00 60.71
Penalty Kill Pct. 50.00 50.00
Faceoffs Won-Taken 74-165 (44.8%) 98-172 (57.0%)
Loose Balls 462 413
Points Leader – Series Dobbie (8) Schuss (9)
Points Leader – Season Dickson (32) Schuss (37)
HEAD-TO-HEAD: 2015 REGULAR SEASON
Category Roughnecks (7-11) Stealth (5-13)
Home Record 4-5 3-6
Away Record 3-6 2-7
Goals For 212 211
Goals Against 217 265
Power Play Pct. 55.29 44.12
Penalty Kill Pct. 64.36 44.68
Faceoffs Won-Taken 302-495 (61.0%) 269-544 (49.4%)
Loose Balls 1,066 1,003
Points Leader – Series Evans (26) Duch (31)
Points Leader – Season Evans (130) Duch (103)
ALL-TIME REGULAR SEASON: VS. STEALTH
All-Time: 23-15
All-Time in CGY: 8-10
All-Time in VAN: 15-5
Last CGY Win: Jan. 30/16, 15-13 at the Scotiabank Saddledome
Last VAN Win: Feb. 14/15, 13-9 at the Scotiabank Saddledome
MILESTONES:
1 – Jeff Shattler is one PPA from 50
2 – Dan MacRae is two loose balls shy of 350
5 – Peter McFetridge needs five loose balls for 250
5 – Karsen Leung is five assists away from 50
6 – Curtis Manning is six points shy of 50
6 – Dan MacRae needs six caused turnovers for 100
6 – Jeff Shattler is six PPG away from 50
7 – Tyler Digby is seven games away from 50
8 – Karsen Leung is eight games shy of 50
9 – Curtis Dickson needs nine games to reach 100
10 – Dan MacRae is 10 assists away from 50
10 – Curtis Dickson needs 10 PPA to reach 50
15 – Curtis Manning is 15 loose balls shy of 400
